News

Retired Maj. Gen. William Eubank Dies

9/7/2010

AFA Caption

BodyText

Retired Maj. Gen. William Eubank Dies: Bill Eubank, the retired major general nicknamed "Mr. B-52" in some circles for his role in introducing the B-52 bomber into the Air Force's fleet, passed away Sept. 3. He was 98. The Shreveport Times reported that Eubank succumbed to a lengthy illness. (See our initial coverage last week.) Eubank accepted the first operational B-52 in June 1955 as head of Strategic Air Command's 93rd Bomb Wing at Castle AFB, Calif. This same unit, while under his leadership, won the MacKay Trophy in 1957 for the world's first non-stop around-the-world jet flight. The next year, Eubank set speed and distance records in a KC-135 tanker. Eubank was born in Welch, W. Va., in 1912. He entered the Army Air Corps in 1936 and survived the Bataan and Corregidor battles of World War II.